Sunrise Unlimited is working on a 50-acre residential development, consisting of 88 homes when completed. Company president Mike Aspinwall has found an 11-ton Hydrema 912C articulated dump truck with a Multi-Tip configuration — which allows the dump body to swivel 180 degrees to unload material on either side of the truck — changing his expectations for the cost of doing this work.

Sunrise has cleared the site, stripped and stockpiled thousands of yards of top soil, and installed more than 10,000 linear yards of sewer and stormwater pipe. Now they're focused on backfilling around foundations and spreading topsoil around completed homes. In the past, the contractor used a skid steer, articulated loader, two tandem dump trucks and extra labor to complete these projects. Since purchasing the Perkins-powered Hydrema, they no longer require two tandem dump trucks, extra labor and extra equipment.

"The 912C is perfect for my specific construction and landscaping projects," says Aspinwall. "The housing units in this development are very close together. This project requires a piece of equipment that can fit between these houses and that has very low ground pressure. Low ground pressure is important because it reduces the chance of cracking curbing and leaving marks on finished concrete driveways."

The 912C has been also eliminating a lot of labor. Sunrise is using the 90-degree dump body to cover pipe trenches. "We can fill the dump with stone, sand or dirt, turn the dump body about 90 degrees, walk it along the trench and cover up our pipe," adds Aspinwall.